Targhee sheep are one of Americas newest breeds. They were
developed in 1926 at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho, from
Rambouillet, Columbia, and Corriedale crosses. Targhee sheep derive their name
from the Targhee National Forest on which the experiment station's flock grazes
in the summer. The forest was named for a chief of the Bannock Indians who had
lived in the area in the 1860s.
Targhee are a dual-purpose sheep with good meat type and a
heavy fleece of high quality wool. They are especially popular in Montana,
Wyoming and South Dakota, where their 3/4 fine wool and 1/4 long wool breeding is
favored by western ranchers.